janome 6600 or the horizon
 

what one do you have?? I what do you like about it??

I just got a 6600 a couple months ago and I am seriously in love with this machine. I'm not familiar with the Horizon so I can't give you a comparison, though. My previous machines were more or less "beginner" machines so the 6600 is heads and shoulders above anything else I've owned. I think a lot of the features I'm thrilled about on this machine are probably on both machines.

I loooove the thread cut button. Best invention ever!! I love how strong the motor is - I think I could sew right through my fingers and it would barely slow down. (So far have managed to avoid testing that, though!) Accufeed is awesome, I suddenly became a much better quilter with that feature - I made sure to get extra feet so I have the SITD and the quarter-inch seam Accufeed feet and I'm a very happy quilter with those feet. I really like the separate bobbin winding motor. This machine performs all around better than my little Brother (CS6000i) when it comes to decorative stitching - no skipped stitches even at top speed and they come out neater and tighter in general. I love that I can position the needle to the left and right with such precision. I like that the feed dog drop switch is on the FRONT of the machine rather than on the back! I'm glad they put two lights on the machine instead of just one.

Overall, very happy with my 6600 and not a speck of buyer's remorse. To me it seems just as easy to use as my two little machines (I also have a 20 year old Kenmore) - easy to thread, easy to work with. So far it takes any thread and any fabric I throw at it without blinking but I've heard others say their 6600's are picky about thread.

One thing I would change about it is something I think is the same on every sewing machine - I wish I could take off the plate without having to unscrew it. I am trying to be really good about cleaning everything between projects and I'm terribly lazy and hate unscrewing the metal plate to get to the bobbin area. I wish it just latched on like the bobbin cover does, but I've never seen a machine like that so there's probabaly a reason they don't make them that way. Also wish the Accufeed feet could be snap-on like the rest of the feet but that's just laziness again on my part! Oh, and I wish it came with a hard cover instead of just a soft one....but it's so heavy I probably won't move it around much anyway so not a big deal.

This machine also came with a knee lifter, which my dealer swore I would fall in love with. I tried it for awhile but it was always in my way and I never used it so I finally took it off.

I went from a Janome 11000SE to the Horizon loved the 11000 but the Horizon is amazing. The 1/4" foot and stitch is wonderful. The embroidery is beautiful and easy. I have used a lot of the decorative stitches and they are great. It is a joy to sew on.

I love my Horizon and my friend has the 6600 and loves hers too, I guess it would depend on how much you want to spend, they are both great machines.

Have had the Horizon for 2 years now and still love it. Have not had any problems with it. Love the large space to move quilts around with the FMQ, which works beautifully, too. Decorative stitches are great. Been a good choice for me and if I ever get a LA, I'll still use the Horizon for all of my sewing and piecing.

You may want to get this throat plate screwdriver. http://www.morkoproducts.com/throat-...crewdriver.php
Makes the job so much easier! Also, I never replace the back screw. Serves mo purpose I can see. I just keep it or a spare. By the way, my old Bernina has the cover that comes off without using a screwdriver! The 6600 has so many great features and dependability. I agree about the A F feet, but I just deal with it.

They are both great machines with the accufeed systems; but I went with the Horizon for the extra lighting it has and the large throat space area to work with. Those features alone make it worth the extra expense.

The Horizon is considerably more expensive than the 6600; it wasn't worth the difference to me. My husband wanted me to get the Horizon because he always wants "the best", but it was too big for my cabinet (and I love my cabinet). So I got the 6600 and a Janome 350 embroidery machine--buying both machines cost little more than the Horizon.

The 6600 does not a free-arm, but that wasn't an issue for me because I have a good Kenmore free-arm machine. I have had the 6600 for over a year and love, love, love it!! I totally agree with sewnoma's comments.

I have a 6600, a Juki HZL600, a Bernina Activa and an old Elna Carina. I use them each for different things--just me. I piece and quilt on the 6600 and I love it. In fact, I'm quilting a baby quilt tomorrow (got it all pin-basted today) and I'm looking forward to it! If I had to downscale to just one machine, the 6600 would win.

I love how strong the motor is - I think I could sew right through my fingers and it would barely slow down. (So far have managed to avoid testing that, though!) .[/QUOTE]

trust me, it will. I tried :)

I also have the 6600. I love it more than any other machine I have had over the years including a Bernina. I have never had to have anything done to it, but regular cleaning. I love the accufeed and I just bought the FM bobbin holder so I don't have to mess with the tension on my regular one.

I have the Horizon and I love it - thread cutter, 1/4" seam foot, lighting, everything!! I have a crib sized Grace quilt frame and the Horizon works really well on it. I'm not familiar with the 6600, so can't compare.

I have the Horizon and am (now) very happy with it. I did, however, have a rocky start. My original machine was just a lemon, I guess. I had several major breakdowns in the first 6 months that I had it. Finally, I wrote the Janome and they arranged for me to get a replacement unit. No problems since!

I love the large throat and the extra lighting. I just recently did a quilt with a lot of metallic thread and different stitches (FMQ and built-in patterns), and it worked great. I do wish it was easier to change the accufeed feet.

Along with the blue dot bobbin case, I hope you also got the FMQ Foot Set. It has a foot holder with three interchangeable feet. The two together makes FMQ and the set up much easier!


For anyone considering a new machine ... I highly suggest you compare the specs from one machine to the other and get to know the differences between them. You'll find some machines virtually the same with slight differences. Not always the upper level machine is what you want or need as sometimes the lower machine might have a feature your "really" want.

The 6600 and 7700 are very similar ... slight differences, with pros and cons for each. In general, if you like one you will like the other, though it's important to know why one is for you more so than the other ... and too, other brands!

Have FUN shopping DebQ2 ... and I'll look forward to hearing the final verdict and outcome!

FMQ on the 6600
 

Can I ask you ladies how you manage to do FMQ on the Janome 6600 ?
I bought this machine, used, no instruction book, so I can't check.

Can someone take time to give me a step by step (idiot's guide) to doing FMQ on 6600 ?
Do I alter tension ?
Which foot ?
Lower feed feet ?
Do I use number 1 on the press button selection ?
etc etc etc..

Help !

*H*:o

I've had a Janome MC4000 for many years and love it, but it's not great for machine quilting because of the small harp. I'd love a Horizon, but I'm sure that it really out of the question. The JMC works great for quilting small quilts, though.

The manual is downloadable on the Janome website.

I only have the Horizon and I really like the features others have mentioned. I upgraded from a cheap Pfaff with almost no bells and whistles (but sewed fine) with a small harp/throat space. Having all that room makes a WORLD of difference. I also like the lights. I like the even feed, thread cutter, needle threader, the easy way to put the feed dogs down and just how easy it is to actually quilt on it. I have only actually FMQed about 4 quilts, but I think that I am going to learn to love it using this machine. I've been using it to sew for almost 2 years now and have some some stitch in the ditch--but the FMQ seems so much easier.

So, while it seems expensive to jump up to such a machine (from a $200 Pfaff), I'm so glad that I did. The Horizon is a quality machine--you can feel it--it is sturdy, runs steadily and seems to be a workhorse. I'm very grateful for mine.

And I'll have to admit before I bought this one, I'd never heard of Janome. (Blush, blush). Pfaff, Bernina, Singer, Kenmore, New Home, etc...but not Janome. But when I wanted to buy a 'higher end' machine here in Poland, my choices were very limited. For me it was good as it cut down on the shopping time. I compared by using reviews on the internet and ordered...

But as far as I know, people are very happy with their 6600s. I paid 5000 zl in 2010, which was about $1900. I think compared to what most of you are having to pay, that was a good deal. I read that just now some are paying that for the Horizon. I don't know what a new 6600 would cost here.

I chose the 6600 over the 7700 horizon because of several things. We had a budget of so much and stuck to it. Also there are several different great things on the 7700 I didn't need. The 6600 filled my needs. I love it. I have also heard great reviews about the 7700.

This is important if you are looking at the 7700 Horizon, my dealer told me that they are coming out with a new 7700 Horizon that will have an easier throat plate to replace and some other things that sounded good but can't remember them all. She said she thought they may put the current one to where you can buy it online instead of just through the dealers. Don't know what the new one would be priced at or if they will lower the price on the one from right now.

Janome also makes the 12000 Horizon (top of the line) and I think someone might have confused that with the embroidery with the 7700. It may pay to wait and talk to your dealer and buy when you can see the newone.

Thank you :thumbup: